Disclaimer: We discussed logic in my philosophy class the other day. Here's an example:
CLAMP owns Tsubasa.
I am not CLAMP.
Therefore, Socrates is mortal. Wait, what?
-
Purple eyes flickered over to Kurogane and quickly away. She didn't acknowledge his words but the corners of her mouth twitched momentarily upward.
Damn, the ninja thought. I travel through dozens of universes and I still can't get away from that all-knowing smile. Which made him wonder just how much this Tomoyo knew. The one in Piffle had spoken to his princess; had this one as well?
His questions were going to have to wait for another time, though, because Tomoyo was not the only arrival. Among the half-dozen armed men who followed her into the clearing were the ubiquitous Touya and Yukito. And close behind was a very strange sight indeed...
The silver-haired man was holding the hand of a short, skinny child, whose wild white hair and wide eyes made him look hyper and wild, and he laughed with such good will, and walked with such a spring in his step, that he seemed the epitome of childlike energy, harmless and sweet. But despite his innocent appearance, his laugh made the four travelers' hearts freeze for a second, because it was so familiar. When he spoke, they all knew whose voice it was, but not how it came to be speaking from this strange body.
"Mokona is so happy to see all of you!" he cried out, running from Yukito to hug Kurogane tightly. "Mokona missed you most of all, Kuro-daddy!"
The ninja growled and shook Mokona off. Some things, after all, are instinctual. "I'm not your daddy!" he shouted, pushing the little boy away. For a second, he felt something like remorse – tossing around and threatening Mokona was so much crueler when he was a child than when he was a furry rabbit-like creature who always seemed to bounce back. This Mokona did not bounce, at least not physically – he stumbled away from Kurogane, and the princess caught him, kissing him on his pale cheek to make everything alright.
"This" Mokona, Kurogane thought darkly. Do we just accept it's him? The thought, along with his feelings of remorse, died when he saw the insufferable, mischievous gleam in the boy's eye. Hell yeah, that's the little monster.
"Mokona, are you alright? What happened?" Syaoran asked, while Sakura hugged Mokona lovingly.
"Sorry I worried you," he replied, snuggling closer to the girl. "Mokona got lost, and then found Tomoyo and her friends! They were nice to Mokona."
This was not a satisfactory answer, but they decided that, while they were surrounded by strangers, they would not discuss the transformation, even though curiosity was eating away at them all. "Well, that's some good news, at least," Fai said. "We're all glad you're okay - even Kuro-fuzz."
"Fai!" Mokona gasped, turning around to face the magician, "You're hurt! What happened?"
"It's nothing much," Fai smiled. "There was a little fight, but I'm fine now."
"A fight?" Mokona's hands flew up to cover his mouth.
"We ran into some of the wizards that these people are at war with," Syaoran explained.
"Oh, they told Mokona about the forest lords! They are very bad people, Yuki-kun said."
"Mokona," Syaoran asked, voice urgent. "Do they really have the feather?"
"Yep! That's what Tomo-chan said, and Mokona knows she's telling the truth. It's one of Mokona's 108 Super Special Skills - Truth Detecting! No one can lie to me and get away with it!" Mokona jumped up and down with pride.
"Ah, but I think Kuro-pup will want better proof," Fai reminded him, a little sorry to spoil the mood.
"Well," Mokona began, wriggling in the princess' arms and twisting his ears around. "Last night Mokona could sense a feather, just for a moment, but then it went away. There's some sort of barrier around it. Since the forest lords are the only people who use magic on this world, they must be the ones who have it!"
"Perhaps," Fai muttered, but too quietly for anyone to notice his doubts.
"You're sure?" Syaoran asked, already fairly convinced.
"Sure enough to make up for Kuro-daddy's cynicism." Mokona cheered up, and Sakura kissed the top of his head in silent thanks. He smiled up at her and took one of her hands, seeming to enjoy moving and making contact in ways that he hadn't been able to before.
Kurogane wasn't even bothering to watch the reunion any longer or listen to the two idiots mutilate his name – once he realized that he wasn't going to find out anything about Mokona's change, he turned his attention to more important things. He was using his sharp hearing to listen to the sisters' conversation. Despite a cheery greeting and smiles on both women's faces, they had quickly begun to argue - or rather, Akane was trying to argue. Tomoyo was as placid as ever.
"What were you thinking, leaving base camp like that? It was bad enough that you insisted on coming into the woods with me at all, but now you have to come to the temple, too?" Akane said fiercely but quietly, as though trying to hide their disagreement, but Kurogane could tell by the looks on the soldiers faces that the two arguing was no rare occurrence.
"You didn't object when Takaki asked to accompany you on your pilgrimage," Tomoyo observed, grinning wickedly.
Akane's face turned as red as her hair, but her voice didn't change. "That's different, and you know it. The point is, you're the priestess, and Losai needs you. The people follow you and respect you. You're irreplaceable! You need to consider your safety, onee-san, and take it more seriously. What would we do if you got killed because you ventured into enemy territory on a whim?"
"Don't you trust Yuna - and our friends -" she gestured toward the soldiers, making her sister scowl, "to keep me safe? You're worried about nothing."
"And you're stalling." Akane suddenly sounded less angry and more worn out. "It isn't a whim, is it?"
Tomoyo tilted her head and looked kindly at her sister. "No," she said simply.
"Well? Do I get to find out why you had to come here?" Akane asked, and attempted to sound as certain as she had in her anger. "Assuming it wasn't just to drive me crazy."
"Well, that's a bonus," Tomoyo laughed, "We'll talk later, but that's all I'm saying for now. There's the ceremony to perform, and of course I want to talk with out visitors...especially the tall one who's been eavesdropping."
Tomoyo didn't even look at him, but Akane spun around and glared at Kurogane. He glared back, and the redhead might have drawn her sword again if her sister hadn't diverted her attention.
"Mokona-kun has told me so much about all of you," the priestess began. "You must be Syaoran-kun, and Fai-san, and Kurogane-san, and of course Sakura-chan." She nodded to each of them, smiling with genuine joy. "I'm very glad to meet you."
The princess smiled just as warmly. Syaoran and Fai bowed respectfully, and Kurogane nodded curtly.
"You look very cute in that outfit, Sakura-chan," Tomoyo commented, "And I want to thank you for helping us with this. Are you sure you don't mind taking part in this?"
Sakura shook her head vehemently.
"Thank you! That's very sweet of you. Has Akane told you about the ceremony?"
The princess hesitated, then shook her head again, more slowly this time.
"I didn't really get around to that," Akane sighed, observing the conversation with misgivings.
Tomoyo tsk-ed affectionately at her sister. "You could have told your understudy about your responsibilities."
Akane rolled her eyes in exasperation. "First, they're not my responsibilities. Second, I didn't have time because you were early. You tell her."
Tomoyo held her gaze for a long moment before turning back to the silent girl. "Alright, I will," she evenly. "In the temple?"
Sakura nodded her consent and waved at Syaoran before following the priestess across the clearing and into the building. She tried had to concentrate hard to stop herself from tripping over her borrowed shoes, but made it to her destination with no incident.
Once inside, Tomoyo drew the curtains bowed to each corner of the room and pulled out a small pouch filled with grayish powder. She sprinkled the powder on the floor in a large circle, which the two young women sat cross-legged in the middle of.
Tomoyo began solemnly, "Sakura-chan, the ceremony I need your help with is one of prophecy. With the war and your arrival, we need as much help and guidance as we can get. I will talk to Yuna, and she will talk to me through you, telling me about things to come. Traditionally, your role would be played by someone who was trained for the job, a relative of the priest of priestess, but my headstrong sister has abdicated from all official duties, and there is no other relative to take her place." Tomoyo chuckled, contradicting the sadness with which she had said those words. "But I'm sure she would be telling me to get to the point, so I will. You have some kind of power, I don't understand what it is, but it should make up for a lack of preparation. And in any case, all you really need to do is let go, to relax and let your mind unfocus."
Sakura was burning with questions, but true to her word, she kept her mouth shut and simply watched Tomoyo walk about the small place of worship, lighting candles and incense. Finally, after much bowing and murmuring, the young priestess returned to the princess and motioned for her to stand. Sakura scrambled up, stepping on the trailing end of her scarf, and nearly tripped. Red-faced, she straightened out her clothing and looked up to meet Tomoyo's eyes, which were soft with understanding.
"Don't worry so much, Sakura-chan," she said lightly, then reached out to touch the girl's forehead. She whispered more incomprehensible words quickly and fluidly. Sakura realized that she was straining to listen to the sounds, to try and make sense of them, so she stopped thinking about them and just let them flow over her. She realized that she was suddenly tired – more than that, she was completely exhausted on a physical, mental, and spiritual level, a feeling she was quite familiar with. It was the same as when she had a feather restored to her. She felt distant from everything, but somehow remained on her feet, her eyes narrowed until they nearly closed. Her mind was working very slowly and sluggishly, telling her that the space around her was dark and filled with smoke. How odd, Sakura though vaguely, before trying to banish any thoughts at all from her head. She fortunately had no more time to think about anything because Tomoyo had ceased her chanting and had knelt.
There was silence for a moment, before a voice began in speak, in the same flowing language Tomoyo had used. The words were foreign to the girl, but the voice itself was familiar. After what seemed a long time, the girl realized Oh, it's my voice. In her absent state of mind, she hadn't noticed the way her mouth was moving, her vocal chords vibrating, her lungs taking in and expelling air. Now, she couldn't stop herself from noticing these things, and focusing on them.
In her moment of realization, the words faltered, and she panicked. No! I've messed everything up! She thought desperately, and the passion in her response only made the problem worse. She was failing to relinquish control over her body and consciousness, and so the voice could not speak through her. Her worry and her emotions were strengthening her awareness and pulling her faster out of the hazy dreamlike state. Her eyes fluttered wide open when Tomoyo stood, and she cried out, "Oh, Tomoyo-san, I'm sorry!"
"What?" Tomoyo asked, sounding so shocked that she wondered, for a horrible moment, if she was still supposed to be silent.
Deciding that what harm was to be done had already been done, the girl continued talking, green eyes filling with tears. "I'm so sorry! I made the voice stop, right in the middle of what she was saying! I didn't mean to," she moaned.
Tomoyo hugged her. "It's alright, Sakura-chan," she said, "I meant it when I said you shouldn't worry so much."
"I interrupted the ceremony," Sakura muttered into the older girl's shoulder.
"Let me worry about that," Tomoyo answered firmly. "You are not to blame. Now, let's go back to the others, okay?" She pulled away and examined Sakura. "Are you up to that?"
Sakura breathed deeply a few times and nodded. The thought of standing next to Syaoran, seeing his curiosity and compassion as she told him all about the ceremony, made her feel better, so she composed herself and prepared to follow Tomoyo outside.
Unfortunately, she had not realized how long the ceremony had really taken, since she had spent most of it in a trance. Tomoyo had a better idea of how much time had passed, but there was something neither of them knew – just how much had changed in their absence, what events had taken place outside their little world.
-
Time passed slowly while the two young women were inside the temple. The new arrivals, who had been marching through the forest for the better part of the night, were glad to seize the opportunity to rest, drink some water from the falls, and rebuild the fire so they could cook over it. Fortunately, they were not stingy, and the latest incarnation of Touya handed bowls of rice and vegetables to Fai, Syaoran, and Kurogane (though his kindness did not extend to his attitude, which was decidedly suspicious, as were those of the other soldiers). He even offered a bowl to Mokona, but the little boy declined, preferring to steal from Kurogane and beg from Fai. Touya also handed two to Takaki. The doctor took both over to Akane, who had wandered away from the rest of the group.
They all settled down in a quiet, expectant atmosphere; anyone who had seen them then would have known they were waiting for something. Syaoran, waiting as long as he could and deciding that the villagers were too far away to listen, turned to Mokona. Before he could ask any of his questions, though, the white-haired boy asked one of Kurogane, who was scanning the clearing with his eyes. "Whatcha doing, Daddy?" he asked while standing on his hands, pleased with his newfound acrobatic abilities.
The ninja, determined not to respond to "daddy" and give the ridiculous title any validation, did not answer until Fai poked him in the side. "Answer the question, Kuro-kuka," the magician asked, lying on his back with his eyes closed.
Kurogane growled but decided it wouldn't be very sporting to beat a wounded man while he was resting. So he answered brusquely, "Keeping lookout."
Mokona laughed. "That's silly! Don'tcha know that all the sacred spots are safe?"
"No, I don't know that, and I'm not going to risk my life on some superstition."
"But it's true!" Mokona protested, dropping out of his handstand and landing inelegantly on his back. Scrambling a bit until he was sitting up properly, he continued, "The place we camped at yesterday, and here, they have some kind of energy around them, forming a ward! Even when we were traveling last night, the energy spread out from Tomoyo-chan and kept us all safe!"
Kurogane, without ceasing his constant surveillance, filed this information away. Fai did the same, only the slightest furrowing of his brow indicating that he was listening at all. Syaoran was merely curious to hear his companion's story, and took their silence as an opportunity. "What happened to you, anyway?" he asked eagerly. "All you said is that you got lost and found Tomoyo-san and the others."
"Well, Mokona isn't sure exactly what happened, at first," he began, not letting his uncertainty dim his enthusiasm for so much as a second. "I stopped for a minute to catch my breath, and then everybody was gone! There was something, just then, but if it was magic it was too quick for me to really tell it was there. Then nothing looked right, and nobody answered when I called out. At least, at first. I wandered around for a bit, and then Kage-san found me and pointed in a direction, and told me to go that way. But when I started to walk that way, he disappeared, and when I looked around for him, there was more magic and I fell over. When I got up, I was like this!" Mokona exclaimed, excitedly making big gestures with his arms. Syaoran looked around, but no one seemed to be paying too much attention to the scene he was creating. "I got up, because I figured I didn't have much choice but to go and see what I could find, which was Tomo-chan and the others!"
They digested this for a minute and tried to see what they could make of it. No matter how Fai looked at it, he could not find a good way of seeing things, so he propped himself up on an elbow to watch Mokona. "You saw Kage-san?" he asked, his mild tone revealing none of his concerns.
"Yup!"
Fai tilted his head. "But Kage-san was with us the whole time, until he died."
Syaoran frowned in concentration. "Maybe he didn't really die," the boy thought out loud. "He was just a shadow creature. Was he ever really alive in the first place? If he wasn't, maybe he can't die..."
"Hyuu, Syaoran-kun's a philosopher!" Fai cheered. "But there's another problem here."
"What's that?" Mokona asked, mimicking the blond's pose and lying on his side.
"Distance," Kurogane said, his thoughts leading him to the same conclusions as Fai. "We were a few hours away from this clearing, and they were at least that far away as well. But they were coming from the other side. There's no way the manjuu boy could have found them in that short amount of time."
"A transportation spell," Fai mused. "That must have been the 'something' that you sensed when you stopped."
For the first time since he had entered the clearing, Mokona stopped moving and became completely still.
"And there's the other question," Kurogane grumbled, not looking at his companions but at the border.
"Oh?" Fai asked slyly, already knowing where the ninja was going with this, and hoping weakly that there would be some other answer he hadn't thought of.
Kurogane resisted the urge to smack the magician and spoke for the kid's benefit. "Someone transported and transformed the manjuu for some unknown reason. That ghost said it was created by magic, that some magician sent it to help us – but only magic users here are our enemies. So either these people are not really our allies, they've lied to us..."
"...Or it was a trap," Syaoran finished, his stomach plummeting at the thought that he could have led Sakura into danger – or that he had. Desperately, he stared at the temple and willed the princess to come out, safe and sound, but the door remained shut.
"Do we really have any evidence that they are on our side?" Kurogane asked quietly, now keeping an eye on the soldiers Tomoyo had brought with her.
There was a long pause until Mokona, feeling he had to say something and fill the silence, said lamely, "We can trust Tomo-chan, can't we? She's a friend, she's nice to us..."
"Not her," Kurogane shook his head slightly. "Other Tomoyos."
"But it's the same person, sort of," Syaoran tried to explain.
"Yuko-san warned us about this," Fai reminded them. "An ally in one world could be an enemy in the next."
"I'd say it's time we got the full story," Kurogane muttered darkly. "Enough with vague comments and promises."
They fell into an uneasy hush, shifting restlessly and waiting for the priestess to reappear with Sakura. The minutes dragged, and Syaoran was so worried that he didn't immediately notice the changes around him. He wrote it off as a side effect of overtaxed nerves, until Fai sat up straight and rested a hand on Kurogane's shoulder. The two men looked at each other and stood up quickly, the ninja drawing his sword.
Syaoran stared at him, anxiety growing. It hadn't been his imagination after all; it had been getting darker slowly, and now that he looked up, he saw clouds in what had been a clear blue sky. The boy scrambled to his feet as well, heart hammering loudly in his ears.
Tomoyo's soldiers had noticed Kurogane's sudden motion and walked over to investigate. "What are you doing?" Touya asked, sounding polite and annoyed at the same time.
"Something's happening," Kurogane answered briefly, just sounding annoyed.
"What, the clouds?" the soldier asked, noticing how Syaoran eyed the sky. "Some bad weather. Unusual, maybe, but nothing to..."
He stopped because the weather abruptly went from "unusual" to "unnerving." Fog sprang up out of nowhere, swirling through the clearing and all around it. It only took a minute for their visibility to be severely reduced. "What the hell?" Touya sputtered, as the other soldiers drew their swords.
A whistle pierced through the fog and cautiously but quickly they moved toward the source of the sound – Akane, who had steered her way through the gloom toward the temple. She was standing alert and tense with her sword in hand. "What's going on?" she yelled in frustration and fear as they gathered closely around her.
"No idea," Yukito said, throat dry.
"It's magic," Mokona whispered quietly, standing on tiptoe and pulling on Syaoran's arm in order to put his mouth to the boy's ear. "Something very bad is coming!"
"Do you hear them?" Kurogane asked, as calm as he had been at breakfast.
Some of the soldiers glanced at each other, confusion mingling with alarm on their faces, but Akane merely snapped, "Yes. And we need to be ready to defend the temple if they break through."
The travelers, with their newly sown doubts, hesitated for a second. In the end they decided that they had to defend Sakura, and since that meant defending the temple, they nodded their agreement.
"I thought nothing could get through," Kurogane said dryly, earning him another glare from the redhead.
"Yeah, well, fog isn't supposed to come down this quickly, and the wolves aren't supposed to be able to walk in the daylight. Shit happens."
"Looks like today is a special day," Fai commented casually. "Lucky us. Anyone have a staff I could borrow, by any chance?"
The soldiers gazed at him and his bandage with skepticism, condescension, and confusion. Kurogane's gaze, in contrast, was calculating. It only took him a moment to find an answer, and he turned to Takaki. "You have a bow. Are you any good?"
The doctor fidgeted. "Well, no, not really, I – "
Short on patience, the ninja snapped, "Give it to him," and his voice had such force and authority that Takaki obeyed without question. Fai accepted the bow and quiver of arrows with a nod, before drawing the bow and muttering that it would be "good enough."
Akane watched, scoffing when the wounded man took the weapon, but not interfering. "Fine, if we're all ready," she said sarcastically, "You four go around the back," she pointed to four of Tomoyo's soldiers, including Touya. The men looked insulted, and one opened his mouth to protest, but she cut him off. "This is not the time for petty squabbles," she said through gritted teeth.
"Come on, be a man," Touya ordered, and this time they went.
"Damn," Akane sighed, before snapping back to attention. "We'll guard this side, if you think you're up to it," she challenged Kurogane.
The ninja growled, "Just try to stay out of the way, little girl."
She grinned, not from joy, but from some wild emotion. She turned so her back was towards the temple wall and waited for something to happen.
They spread out, and Syaoran found himself between Kurogane and Akane. From his position, he could barely see Fai, and the others were completely invisible to him. He cleared his throat, nearly jumping at the sound, and asked, "Akane-san – what about Tomoyo-san and Sakura-hime?"
The woman shook her head. "We can't interrupt them," she said. "Onee-san might be able to help us when they're done, but that could be hours. Or it could be now."
There wasn't anything left to say, and nothing to do but wait, and listen. The fog flattened and muffled sounds, but Kurogane could still hear the lizard-wolves, at the edge of the clearing, prowling and trying to get in.
That was all there was for several long minutes, before a loud crack shattered the silence. An unearthly howl went up from the wolves as they ran into the clearing and pounced upon the defenders.
Kurogane had no time to worry about betrayal or mysticism. The damn monsters were as fast as he remembered, darting in and out of the fog, appearing and disappearing almost before he could react. Almost. He swung Souhi in swift strokes, relying more on instinct then thought, and was rewarded by the sight of the wolves falling to the ground. As they had done once before, the bodies disappeared moments after hitting the grass. Kurogane put it out of his mind; chasing ghosts was a good way to become one.
More than a few went down with arrows in them. The archer had dropped back behind the swordsmen when the fight began. If anyone else had been standing behind him in the fog, aiming at a moving and very close target, Kurogane would have worried; but whatever else he could say about the man, Fai was a damn good shot.
He was also careful and efficient, trying to conserve arrows and taking only the best shots. The magician didn't want to think about what he would do when he ran out. Magic was always a last resort, but he would much prefer if it didn't come to that, especially in the midst of possibly hostile magic-hating natives who had information they needed.
-
Kurogane paused for a second, luring four beasts closer before diving low and slicing through two of them with one blow. The third stumbled, trying to change direction too quickly, and was set upon by its snarling companion, who had better reflexes if no more intelligence.
The ninja sneered at them and took a second to glance at the kid. Syaoran was not holding up as well; he was fighting defensively, managing to protect himself from serious harm, but not managing to inflict any, either. He also seemed to be favoring his left leg. That wouldn't do; there was no way he could last much longer like that, so Kurogane did what he could to get closer to the boy and help him out.
There was no way of telling how many enemies were in the clearing, or the woods around them, so Kurogane could not estimate how much longer the battle would go on, but he knew that the longer is lasted, the worse there chances would be. Trying to gauge the situation, he turned to the side to see how Akane was faring.
Out of the corner of his eye he saw the temple door open.
-
Fai had reached the dreaded moment – he was down to his last arrow. He thought fleetingly of using it as a dagger, but discarded the idea without serious consideration. The shaft wouldn't take that kind of abuse for long before it would snap, and he doubted that he was in any condition to fight the monsters up close. The exertion of archery had left him shaky, and he was running on adrenaline and will power as it was. Regretfully, he picked a final shot and watched the beast fall and disappear. He walked backwards and leaned against the temple wall for support, hoping he wouldn't have to use his magic but not seeing an alternative...until the door opened next to him and Tomoyo stepped out.
He was close enough to her to hear her steady breathing as she surveyed the battlefield. Calmly, as though she saw this kind of thing everyday, she turned back around toward the temple and placed a hand on its wall. As she stood there, power surged from her and into the building.
Fai nearly fell over. It was magic – different from the kind practiced on Celes, but undoubtedly magic. Guess they were lying after all, he thought cynically.
-
"Akane," the priestess said without moving. Though she did not raise her voice, her sister heard her clearly. "Get everyone inside."
"Inside the temple! NOW!" the redhead bellowed, grabbing Yukito roughly by the arm and pushing him toward the building. He stumbled through the door, passing Sakura, who peered outside in dismay. Fai followed him in, and the princess nearly cried when she was him, disheveled and out of breath.
"Fai-san! What happen?"
The blond waved her off and collapsed in the corner. When he was in contact with the building, it was even easier to sense the magic flowing into and around it – and simple but strong spell for protection. He hoped it would be enough.
Sakura, seeing she would get no answer, rushed back to the door. Touya had just entered, supported by another soldier, and while she knew logically that he was not her brother, it still stopped her heart to see his right leg dangling limp and useless below him, bleeding. While she stared at him, horrified, Takaki ran in, panting. "Who – else?" he gasped.
"Syaoran, Kurogane, and Mokona are still out there," Sakura answered, trying her best to stay composed, and then ran to the door. The others were talking, sharing the names of soldiers who had fallen in battle, but all she could think about was Syaoran. He, Kurogane, and Akane were trying to hold off the wolves long enough for Tomoyo to finish what she was doing, but there were just too many of them. Hand to her mouth, Sakura watched.
Mokona stumbled toward the sanctuary, the chaos making him unstable on his new legs. Sakura hardly noticed when he grabbed her arm to try and regain his balance – her eyes were on the four outside, though they were little more than shadows in the mist. She dimly heard Akane yelling at Tomoyo to hurry up.
The next sound was one that she could hear very clearly, because it was the one she had been straining her ears for and hoping she would not hear – Syaoran gasping in pain. A moment later, he fell forward, clutching a wound in his chest that bled profusely.
Her body reacted before her mind could process this even, and she ran outside, ignoring Mokona's protests as he grabbed for her and missed.
-
"Onee-san! We don't have time!" Akane yelled as Kurogane moved to stand over his comrade's body.
"Just get inside," the priestess told her sister.
"NO!"
"You have to."
"And leave you here?"
"Yes."
Akane screamed, venting her anger on the nearest wolf-lizard. Still, she couldn't disobey when Tomoyo was being so serious, so calm, so sure of herself. So Akane bent over, slung Syaoran over her shoulder, and began her retreat. Glancing over her shoulder, she saw Sakura standing in the fog and snapped, "Get inside!"
The girl just spoke one word: "Syaoran."
"He's –" she began, not even sure what she would say.
The wolves spared her the necessity of finding any words, surging forward with renewed ferocity. Perhaps they knew their prey was preparing to escape, or perhaps they simply saw an opportunity. Akane didn't have time to think about this or anything else, doing what she could to protect herself and falling back toward the temple door. She was dimly aware of Kurogane killing a wolf that had been targeting the princess, and it gave her a mild sense of relief that she wouldn't have to protect both teenagers.
She was the closest to the door when something odd began to happen. It got harder and harder to see her allies, the temple, the monsters around her. The fog was thickening ominously, and just as she stepping into the building with the injured boy, it condensed further, blocking everything from sight.
"Sakura-chan!" Mokona cried, pulling himself away from restraining hands and trying to rescue his friends. When he reached the door, though, he was stopped as though there were a wall blocking his path. "What happened?"
Fai was whiter than a ghost. "The spell's finished, the protection is sealed," he said in quiet horror.
"No!" Mokona objected, fearing it was true. "Sakura-chan! Kuro-daddy!" he beat at the empty air with his small fists but could not break through. Yukito and Takaki also tried passing through the open door, but were no more able to than the little boy.
They were trapped inside, and they could do nothing but wait while their friends faced monsters alone.
-
AN: So, another appearance of human!Mokona. I think I might be a little obsessed with turning Mokona into a person. Anyway, I think it is fun to picture him as a child, because he would be so cute.
This was a longish chapter, but I thought that ending it any earlier wouldn't work as well. I've decided to not worry too much about word count, so there might be some random chapter lengths in the future.
I wrote most of this on an airplane, after a few false starts, and had to edit it a lot when I typed it, so blame errors on turbulence, sleep deprivation, recycled air, and that crying baby a few rows back. I think it turned out pretty well, but I want to hear what you think! Comments/criticism/Reviews of any kind are welcome, and thank you for reading.